An isolation and confinement facility for the selection of astronaut candidates

In 2008, JAXA conducted its fifth astronaut candidate recruitment. The final stage involved 10 of 963 applicants undergoing the first and second examination stages based on physical checks, written tests, and interviews. The third (final) stage focused on evaluating the behavioral attitudes required for ISS crewmembers. Since it is difficult to assess these attitudes by paper testing or interview alone, JAXA has established an environment in which the assessors could observe the behavior of examinees on a continuous basis.

The 10 examinees stayed in the isolation and confinement facility for 1 wk. During their stay, several group and personal tasks were assigned along with predetermined daily schedules covering aspects of leadership, teamwork ability, productivity (performance), and so on. Subsequently, psychologists, psychiatrists, and JAXA officials/managers experienced in practical human space development evaluated them.

During the confinement, no examinees showed any excessive character traits or psychopathologic behavior. Repeated observations led to a convergence of opinions among the experts. Three examinees ultimately passed this assessment and were assigned as new Japanese astronaut candidates.

This unique assessment enabled the assessors to conduct longitudinal evaluations, evaluations based on observing detailed behavior, and easy control of test conditions and safety. Although "selection of the right stuff" may differ among each space agency, this method offers the unique advantage of allowing experts in various fields to evaluate the competencies of examinees both synthetically and longitudinally.